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PONDOLAND TIMES
PONDOLANDTIMES
PONDOLANDTIMES
WWW.PONDOLANDTIMES.CO.ZA FRIDAY 14 MAY—FRIDAY 21 MAY
FINALLY, A NEW HOPE FOR MOTORISTS AS FAMOUS POTHOLES GET FIXED
REACH OVER 50 000 READERS EVERY WEEK ISSUE 10, VOLUME 1
Photo by: Quan Dambuza
YOUNG ENTREPRENUERS : READ ON PAGE 3
In this month’s issue: •
Tender scandal gets mayor sacked by Mbizana Local Municipality
•
Bizana Youth Radio to host a music competition for local artists
•
From Miss Bizana first princess to Miss Durban finalist
Continues on page 4…. BIG XHOSA GOES VIRAL : READ ON PAGE 3
R61 Pothole Maintenance Currently In Process By Quan Dambuza innie Madikizela- Mandela Local Municipality Mayor Cllr TD is pleased to inform the community of Mbizana that the R61 road from eZikhuba to Town is currently under construction. The R61 Provincial road in Mbizana has been deteriorating rapidly due to the state of potholes resulting to damages against our road users.
condition due to potholes. We are aware of effects the potholes has caused to our people hence we humbly apologize for inconvenience caused along the way. We thank the people of Mbizana for being patient with us as government and we plead for continuity in this regard,” said the Mayor.
"As government it remains our duty to continue to strive for better infrastructure of our people . The R61 road here in Mbizana was in an incredibly bad
Her Worship added by saying she is happy to report that the maintenance of the R61 road finally has started.
PONDOLAND TIMES
FRIDAY 14 MAY —FRIDAY 21 MAY
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME THE GREATEST SALESMEN IN THE FURNITURE BUSINESS? By: Quan Dambuza
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The Rule of Primogeniture and Msinga In the province of KwaZulu and more specifically in Msinga, the principle of male primogeniture is still being practised.This principle was in terms of section 23 of the Black Administration Act 38 of 1927and entailed that only males could inherit and thus only males could hold property rights in the South African indigenous societies. Some scholars, however, argues that this rule does not originate with the Africans but was imposed upon them by Colonialists but indeed African men did not depart from the rule as it benefited them. The reason for this is that females were treated as minors by their husbands who retain all the assets of the homestead. The basic rule in Msinga is that one needs to belong to a certain tribe in order to inherit however, this practice is very masculine oriented for the sole person of maintaining patrilineal ownership of property. In such circumstances, a woman may live in her husband’s farm and when the husband eventually dies, the eldest son gets ownership of the farm and the homestead. If the boy has not become of age, an in-law male figure from the husband’s family gains control and ownership of the land up until the son becomes of age. Therefore, a problem always arises when the husband dies and leaves a wife behind, it becomes clear that men leave behind no opportunities for women to gain access to ownership of land.
On this week’s business review we chat with Sandiso “Peters” Msongelwa professional and seasoned salesman who has been in the selling business for more than 8 years now. Sandiso works for Bradlows in the small town of Bizana. Ordinary people used to think shops like Bradlows belonged to the rich and middle class. Sandiso believes that, the shop is now very accessible and accommodating since they also offer lay buys for pensioners as well. Sandiso says “Our beds start as little as R2500.00 up to R63 000.00, our lounge suites start as little as R4600.00 up to R43 000.00 and we have a number of kitchen appliances and furniture to choose from based on your affordability. The choice is up to the customer. All our products have a guarantee. For an example, all appliances from DEFY have a guarantee of 5 years whether you buy with a lay buy or cash. Even though it is very rare, we do have cases of faulty furniture and we are always happy to send our technicians to your home to fix whatever needs attention as urgent as possible.”
In the furniture business there used to be shops like Ellerines, Town Talk and others, but shops like Furniture Mart, Bradlows, Russels & Morkels were high rated shops that were only found in Natal but they are everywhere today. For example, we have Bradlows in Bizana, Umzimkulu, Umzinto and Lusikisiki. We now accommodate everyone. “What I have learnt from this business is that your foundation (Pipeline according to Bradlows training) must be very strong. You must make every business count, whether it’s a lay buy or cash customer. You also have to be patient and advertise what you can supply.” Says Sandiso Covid-19 did affect shops like Bradlows since they are not an essencial services business. This means they did not make any sales, making it impossible to reach their targets since they work with targets. Contact Peters on 073 864 7370/039 2510 656 or visit shop no 24 opp. Spin & Win
On other gruesome and unfair practice is that when the marriage is dissolve before either spouse dies, the lobola is returned to the husband’s family. This is injustice at its best as women may carry out wifely duties in the husband’s homestead for years and still be left with nothing at the end. This not only prejudices the women but the families of the women too. As a result, despite the increase in laws aimed at resolving the gender bias in land ownership, especially in traditional settings, more work needs to be done to consider the social practices of those who would be impacted by these laws. The Land Laws of Msinga Project is an outstanding example of how a deeper understanding of local traditions and discourses makes for more detailed study and forecasts about policy enforcement and it will be important to see more research conducted in Msinga. It has been four years since the project finished, and a post-analysis has been undertaken to see how social practices have improved and whether the Communal Land Rights Act or the Revision of Customary Law of Succession and Related Matters Act of 2009 have had some effect on community members' social practices. A WEEKLY COLUMN BY: Bongani Dinga Ka Luvatsha bonganiluvatsha@gmail.com
PONDOLAND TIMES
FRIDAY 14 MAY —FRIDAY 21 MAY
SOUTH AFRICAN RAPPERS ARE SLEEPING AND NEED A WAKE UP CALL DISS TRACK, CONTROVERSIAL SONGS: WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAN BEHIND SOUTH AFRICAN HIP HOP STORM
By: Mawande Genu
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Kings were kings with very little to no contest from the young princes and peace reigned supreme until one faithful morning came a young prince from the Eastern Cape who reminded everyone that Hip Hop is a contact sport. 22 year old rapper who goes by the name, Big Xhosa, raised eyebrows when he called out some of the biggest names in the South African Hip Hop industry in his now viral diss track. The rapper name dropped almost every big named rapper excusing AKA and Big Zulu in his HIT THEM UP inspired war call mentioning the likes of A reece, Cassper Nyovest, Kwesta and Nasty C just to name but a few. Big Xhosa, real name Sesethu Myeki hails from the small town of Cathcart in the Eastern Cape and moved to Gauteng in pursuit of his rapping dreams. Seemingly his dis track was just a sample of what we can expect from the rapper who claims to have awakened the sleeping beast that is South African Hip Hop. The young rapper who also goes by the name, SOS, was quoted as saying in reference to his viral music video “I feel like people are sleeping in the game. I wanted to do something that will make them start rapping again”. The rapper packs a hardcore gangster rap feel infused with a rather comical lyrical content that is anything but short of controversial judging by his recent music.
nce upon a time the South African Hip Hop industry was quiet and running smooth with sturdy success characterized by a few cold wars with subliminal jibs taken from time to time.
Big Xhosa has detailed his upbringing in one of the local news website as a tough one having been raised by his grandmother along with some of his siblings with no other source of income except her social grant. He continued to explain how he started following Hip Hop and who inspired him to become a rapper with his list including a rapper he excused in his diss track in AKA.
PORTIA MLOMO TELLS WHY YOU SHOULD TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS
YOUNG MOTHER FROM NGQELENI STARTS HER OWN HAIR PRODUCT By Lithakazi Mhaga
By: Quan Dambuza
oday’s economic climate, though disabled and depressed by a 7% decrease during the 2020 lockdown, is showing growth with a reported 67,3% in economic activity in the last quarter of 2020. Surely, Thandazile Zaphule (28) is one of the many small and informal business owners counted in a total 10% contribution in the South African economy. oliswa Portia Mlomo is a young innovative 25-year-old woman who loves taking initiative in people’s lives. Like the late Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, she was born and bred in the Eastern Cape, from a small town of Bizana. She is the youngest at home, she loves listening to music, dancing and she is a very adventurous person. “I wanted to bring entertainment to the young generation, I realized there is a lot of teenagers who are passionate about music but because we live in an unsourced environment they fail.” – says Portia also adding that her favourite music is RNB, Afro Soul and Jazz on Sundays though she listens to Gqom and Amapiano on a regular basis.
Most women are not getting enough support from business support agencies, Portia says she does. “I do get a lot of support. I never thought I would receive so much love, respect and support.” There are a lot of things that motivate people to get into business. Portia says her motivation was profit and gain, exposure and offering empowerment to the young people. On Wednesday, 27 October 2021 South Africa will hold local government elections and there are things the youth would like improved in places like Bizana. “The road is very bad and I feel like our environment have very limited resources, like water and RDP houses.” – says the young business woman
Portia says if her event goes well she is planning on giving back to her community by giving away school shoes and sanitary towels to less advantage children.
While advising the young girls who are interested in getting into entrepreneurship and events organizing Xoliswa added that
When asked if Bizana is currently booking enough national artists Miss Mlomo believes small towns are not doing enough, “I feel like we need a place to do events to inspire our youth. I still want to o a lot for my town in terms of entertainment and tourism.” She said.
“You must tell everyone about your business. Network with other women. To be decisive, identify and understand your audience. Have goals, do not let imposter syndrome stop you. Do not be afraid to pursue an unexpected path and go all out.”
“I was inspired to start the business and brand by a friend and client of mine,” Zaphule said, while tending to house chores feeding her three year old daughter and brand namesake; Mimi. Zaphule makes all her hair products in the small one room flat she resides in with her daughter and distributes from a small carry-on bag. She spoke to Pondoland Times while preparing to deliver products to clients in the Mthatha CBD. She’s also pleased that she can deliver to clients outside of Mthatha via public transport and postal services. “I had just given birth to Mimi, in 2018, when I started to lose my hair. My hair was breaking, it was thinning and I had bald spots. This frustrated me and I sought help from any where and everywhere. I tried different products, expensive products but was never satisfied with the results. I ended up mixing all of the products I had bought as a desperate resort,” she said with a giggle.
This young mother originally from Nqgeleni spoke with pride and passion. Her eyes beamed, her smile was sincere and infectious, “It never occurred to me that I could make the perfect product to suite my problems, but I did. My hair started growing and it thickened. Friends suffering from the same problems wanted me to make them my special mixture, that’s when I knew this could be a success. It is important for me that whatever I put on my skin and hair is safe for my child’s skin and hair as well. All the products that I make are what I use on her. That’s how she ended up being my brand ambassador and brand name for Mimi’s Naturale.” The brand creates hair care products that are designed purely for unprocessed hair, “I cater mainly to people with natural hair. If anyone with processed hair uses my products, they suffer from hair loss,” Zaphule said, offering a warning to those thinking of using her products. “I started with the hair food in 2018, in 2019 I added the hair spray. In 2020 I added the shampoo and conditioner. The products provide rapid hair growth, hair strengthening, anti dandruff and moisturising,” added Zaphule. “I’m currently working on a new product which is designed for processed or relaxed hair,” Zaphule affirmed about the growth of Mimi’s Naturale hair care products.
PONDOLAND TIMES
FRIDAY 14 MAY —FRIDAY 21 MAY
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SPEARS OF THE NATION GUN AND SINENKANI FC TO comfortably at the top of Stream A in the ABC Motsepe CARRY THE HOPES OF THE PEOPLE OF BIZANA League. The Blue Nation has dominated the amateur league all season long and should they take their form to By: Mawande Genu the play offs they are guaranteed to replace the rather blunt Bizana Pondo Chiefs who are now relegated to the lower division. The people of Bizana and the Eastern Cape will be looking at Blue Nation to carry their hopes of having a team that comes from the great Mpondoland to represent them in the Glad Africa Championship. Sinenkani FC is also another team from the Alfred Nzo region that has been flying the town’s flag high with their performances in the ABC Motsepe league recently. The town has suffered a great depression spell after the Lions of Skoomplas have had a dormant campaign in the Belgian coach Hugo Broos is the new Bafana Bafana head coach. Image: Frank Abbeloos/Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images second division. The team that surprised many by winning the ABC Motsepe league failed to maintain their Spears of The Nation look poised to fight it out for progood run resulting in their abrupt demise. motion to the Glad Africa Championship as the seat
Continues from page 1…... Early this week a few roads could be seen getting a facelift. According to Facebook group (Potholes—R61) admin, they had requested the Provincial Department of Transport to indicate what it’s immediate plans are to fix the potholes. “The current road works are a short term measure people needed.” - says Mfundo Daki He says “I am happy to report that from the information we have gathered, the Provincial Department of Transport is on site fixing the potholes.” “A further development is that a contractor has been appointed by the Provincial Department of Transport to reconstruct the road from scratch, I am informed that the project will cover the area from Zikhuba towards town. A further project to deal with Bizana town to Magusheni is in the pipeline.” adds Mr Daki People in the group can be seen sharing tyre busts, accident scenes and their experiences from using this deteriorating and dangerous R61 road. “We opened a bank account in order to receive contributions and donations. We planned to use the funds to patch the road from our own pockets. Even though we had not started to go on an aggressive campaign to receive donations, 8 people from Bizana have contributed a total of R13 520.00” says the group admin
A SHORT SAMMARY OF BIZANA PONDO CHIEFS LAST 8 GAMES